


The Evil Within One-Shots

by LadyCookieCupcake



Category: The Evil Within (Video Game)
Genre: Awkwardness, Caring Reader, Female Reader, Gen, Mistletoe, Multi, One-Shots, Other, Pre-Barn Fire, Pre-The Evil Within 1, Strained Child-Parent Relationship, Tired Reader, Victoriano Reader, gender neutral reader, male reader - Freeform, prompts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:07:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22338250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyCookieCupcake/pseuds/LadyCookieCupcake
Summary: A collection of one-shots centered around the characters of The Evil Within, based around various prompts I find over the internet.
Relationships: Juli Kidman & Reader, Juli Kidman/Reader, Laura Victoriano & Reader, Laura Victoriano/Reader, Ruben "Ruvik" Victoriano & Reader, Ruben "Ruvik" Victoriano/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	1. One-Shot Guide

**_NSFW Tags:_ **

  * NSFW-S = Not Safe For Work-Smut
  * NSFW-V = Not Safe For Work-Violence
  * NSFW-D = Not Safe For Work-Death



_**SFW Tags:** _

  * SFW-Fa = Safe For Work-Family
  * SFW-Fl = Safe For Work-Fluff
  * SFW-G = Safe For Work-Generic
  * SFW-H/C = Safe For Work-Hurt/Comfort
  * SFW-Co = Safe For Work-Comfort
  * SFW-ER = Safe For Work-Established Relationship



Also, you may have seen a lot of these already, as I published them before on here. However, I wanted all of the one-shots put together, though, so they're a bit neater. So apologies for any confusion I may have caused. :)

* * *

**{{ J u l i K i d m a n }}**

  * Kisses Outside | Chapter 1 ((SFW-Fl))



**{{ L a u r a V i c t o r i a n o }}**

  * Freedom With You | Chapter 2 ((SFW-Fa; SFW-C))



**{{ R u b e n V i c t o r a n i o | R u v i k }}**

  * Fight | Chapter 3 ((SFW-G; SFW-H/C))
  * Freedom With You | Chapter 2 ((SFW-Fa; SFW-C))




	2. kisses outside | juli kidman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> originally published; 17/02/2018  
> edited; 29/01/2020

You've been trying to avoid the horrible thing ever since you arrived.

It's been conveniently positioned above the front door, to catch everybody who walked through, which meant you were left either hoping you were on your own or with somebody you actually liked.

You were lucky enough to have avoided it the first time. The second time, however, wasn't as easy.

Sneaking around the corner, you managed to slip through the living room and into the kitchen without so much as a glance your way.

Though you weren't a big fan of the crowds, it did make this admittedly easier to blend in. For the past hour or so, you've been escaping each room without anyone noticing.

But of course, _somebody_ would eventually catch you.

At some point, you hadn't been able to avoid Joseph's sight, and so, being the brilliant detective he was, he knew instantly where you were going and seemed adamant on getting you to do the opposite.

It was why you were being extra cautious. You couldn't be too careful when those KCPD detectives were involved. They were like sniffer dogs when they wanted something.

A loud thump startled you and you turned, afraid Joseph had finally found you. He hadn't. It was, in fact, a couple making out against the wall.

You sighed a breath of relief and then rolled your eyes. That was one thing you hated about parties; those who seemed completely oblivious to everybody around them.

_Just keep moving,_ you thought and turned back to slip outside, the cool air brushing goosebumps over your skin. Maybe you could hide better outside.

After all, he hadn't thought to look outside yet. Or you hadn't seen him, at least. You were a bit safer, and you could always just jump in a bush or something if he did decide to come out.

Yeah, you could stay out here until it was a respectable time to leave, and then say your goodbyes before anything could be done.

It was better out here, anyway. The problem with having such a big party in a small place was that it meant indoors became unbearably hot very quickly. So it was refreshing to take a step outside.

You looked up at the dark sky, save for the occasional speckle of bright dots and a half-moon, and smiled. It was also quite beautiful out here.

Looking back down, you quickly located a bench and moved over to sit. Leaning back, you relaxed a little as you looked back up. You had nothing better to do after all, and besides it was strangely soothing to see how many stars you could count.

You lost track of time, and the only sign you'd been sitting in that position for too long was the strained soreness in your neck, the chill having seeped in at the exposed skin.

But it was nothing a bit of shifting wouldn't get rid of.

"(Y/N)!" Someone called, the sound of the glass door sliding open following it, and in your surprise, you looked down and over too quickly. A sharp pain shot up your neck in a tingling sensation.

Ow, ow, _ow_. That hurt far more than you thought it would.

You raised a hand to gently rub the soreness out and winced at the twinge it gave. Who opened the door anyway?

Carefully, you looked up, frowning, and then paused in shock at who was standing at the door.

"Ki-Kidman?"

But it couldn't be. You were sure it had been a male voice who had called you. A glance behind the woman showed no one but those grinding against one another and the sink, though.

You grimaced. Maybe you were just hearing things then... apparently.

Looking back, you saw Kidman looking just as wide-eyed and startled as you felt. You watched as she straightened herself as if she'd been pushed.

_Oh, so she wasn't here willingly then,_ you thought and sighed, shaking your head.

You almost didn't want to know who'd pushed her, or why. Though it didn't take a genius to figure out.

"Let me guess, Joseph?" You asked and she nodded, pausing before shuffling almost awkwardly over to you. She sat down quite stiffly. You rolled your eyes at the nod, chuckling.

Of course it was Joseph. That man was _way_ too determined.

Though why remained unclear. What could he possibly achieve by getting you to kiss underneath a mistletoe? It wasn't as if _he_ was going to get the kiss (something you knew neither Sebastian nor Joseph would like, anyway).>

So why was he so determined to ruin your night? Well _more_ anyway. Actually coming to the party in the first place had kind of ruined first.

It was a simple office party, right before Christmas, and sure, it was nice to see everyone but you didn't get along with everyone.

You really only spoke to Joseph, Sebastian and a couple of others. They were easier to talk to; well mostly. Sebastian was like a brick wall at times, but he was still pleasant company to have. Definitely far easier to talk to than many others.

Though you'd never really spoken to Kidman. You've heard of her often, however.

She had recently been trasnferred to the precinct, and while many spoke _about_ her, not many spoke _to_ her.

You found it incredibly rude but every time you felt just a smidge of confidence, Kidman was either too busy or you lost it before you could get to her. She always had this standoffish vibe about her too, which never helped matters.

She was just so... mysterious in a way, and that made it hard to talk to her.

You wanted to though. She seemed like a lovely woman, cute even- you paused, and then pointedly ignored the thought.

Kidman seemed like the type who had stories to tell, and you wanted to give her someone to tell them to, to trust enough to tell them.

It was just- harder to actually _do_ than it was to just think about doing it.

Now would be a good example of that, actually.

You were sitting there, beside her, feet swinging a little just so you could distract yourself with _something_ ; and no matter what you thought, you remained unsure of what to even say.

What would she find interesting enough to have a conversation about? Maybe she didn't even want to talk.

Kidman coughed and you jumped a little, having not expected any noise from her. She sent a sheepish look your way.

"Joseph said your name was (Y/N)?" She asked though it sounded more like a statement than a question. You nodded in reply and wondered when Joseph had even brought the topic of you up, and why.

There must have been some confusion on your face because Kidman explained, "I asked him, is all. He wouldn't tell me otherwise."

She paused and then quickly added, "Don't worry."

Yeah, because it was just easy to 'not worry' when you find out the woman you find cute (and may have - definitely had - a little crush on) wanted to know your name. _So easy._

Why did she want to know your name? Why ask Joseph? Wouldn't it have been easier to ask you? Did she want to become friends...or something?

Meanwhile, as you sat lost in your thoughts, Juli Kidman sat beside you, clearly wanting to say something but unsure what. It didn't take a genius to realise you were panicking. All one had to do was look to your chest, which rose and fell faster than it should've.

What should she do? She couldn't just sit there and watch you panic, but what would help?

She could think of a few things but were they really appropriate? But then again, if it got your attention, maybe it'd be worth it.

She was afraid you were actually going into full-blown panic mode. So, without another thought, she placed a hand on your cheek, turned your head and leaned in to press her lips against yours.

Only it ended up practically smashed and a little painful.

It did the job though.

For a moment, nothing seemed to move. It was as if the world had stopped around you two. Even the music from inside seemed to have stopped.

It was only you two, and that seemed to be the only thing that mattered.

You yourself were sure if your heart pounded any harder, it would break free. Actually, breathing might help that.

You pulled almost reluctantly away to take in a lungful of air, Kidman's breath with how close she still was. Her eyes were closed and she seemed so dazed over the whole thing.

You understood; you too felt a little dazed by that kiss.

It was... wow. You wanted more, and with a single-minded focus, you were about to tug her towards you- only for her to grasp your hand quickly.

You paused and then pulled away, eyes wide as you stared. Her eyes were now alert, though she was still staring at your entwined hands as if they would attack.

As the silence got longer, you became more aware of what you were about to do, and with a jerk, you pulled away.

"I'm sorry," You said. You couldn't look at her, lest she saw the blush on your cheeks. God, this wasn't how you wanted your first kiss with your crush to be. And you certainly hadn't meant to startle Kidman.

And now Kidman probably won't ever speak- 

"What do you mean? I should be the one saying sorry. I kissed you after all." Kidman interrupted and then sheepishly added, "I'm sorry, by the way. I just, I saw you were panicking and I sort of- kind of- _panicked?_ myself. I really don't know why I thought a kiss would help. That only works in movies-." 

You thought now might be the best time to stop her, lest _she_ ended up having a panic attack.

"Kidman," You waited until she looked over to continue but she wouldn't. It was as if she couldn't stop herself from talking, in fact, still trying to apologise for something you very much liked.

So, gently, you reached over to hold her hand, grip loose so she could shake you off if she wanted; and when she finally paused and looked over at you, you smiled.

And it was as if a lid had opened. Kidman let out air she probably hadn't realised she'd been holding in, and you shook your head as she tried to smile back. It looked awkward as hell but still, you couldn't help but find it cute. 

"It's fine, you know. I- I didn't mind, the kiss I mean." You reassured her, "It was nice." and then winced.

Really? That was how you were going to describe it, just a simple 'nice'. It was more than that though, it was... god, why couldn't you think of a better word to describe it?

"Really?" Kidman asked, almost timidly and you forgot all about trying to find a better word, to look up and smile at her. You nodded.

"Yes. I...liked it." You told her and chuckled nervously at how awkward that sounded.

Kidman gave her own nervous chuckle but otherwise didn't say anything, and then silence enveloped the two of you. It was awkward, to say the least, and you were almost tempted to cough to break the tension up.

Oh great. Did you just ruin any chances of _anything_ happening between you two now?

_Not even a friendship could possibly work now._

And it was horrible how sad that thought made you feel.

"You two are just... wow." A voice came out of nowhere and both of you jumped at the sound of it. "You two are really hopeless, you know."

You rolled your eyes at the comment and turned to find Joseph standing right behind the bench you were sitting on, arms crossed and one hand holding his phone and the other a....mistletoe?

Glaring, you crossed your arms. Of course. It's not like Joseph to miss a chance, after all.

Wait, so if the mistletoe was there-? You looked over at Kidman and wondered how much of this she knew. Was that the real reason she came out? Was all of this just to help Joseph out? Was that why she kissed you? Not to help you but-.

No, it wasn't a thought you wanted to have. Surely, she wouldn't. But then again, she may have. You didn't know her that well, and she had no way of knowing about your crush, and how much this would've hurt if this _was_ a joke.

"Oh, don't get sulky." Joseph chided, his voice akin to a mother playfully reminding her child not to whine. "She knew nothing about this-," he waved the mistletoe. "- I just used this to my advantage."

"Why?" You couldn't help but ask. Why bother? Why did he care? It’s not like kissing under a mistletoe ‘sealed the deal’ or anything. It was just a stupid thing people did for the fun of it.

"Because I needed the photo to actually mean something, and what’s the point of forcing you to kiss someone you don’t like?” Joseph asked, and to anyone that would've been an - at least-somewhat - innocent question. The implications may even have flown over their head.

However, this was Kidman and she made detective for a reason.

"You like me?" Kidman asked, eyes wide as if startled by the information, and you winced. What did you do? Do you lie and say no? But Joseph’s right there and you know he’d say otherwise.

And besides, Kidman would probably know if you were lying. There's no point in lying when surrounded by human lie detectors. You should know, you've tried.

So you looked down and silently nodded. You didn't want to see Kidman's shocked - or maybe even disgusted? - expression, nor did you want to see Joseph's smug one. 

The silence carried on and the air seemed to get stuffier, despite being outside; and suddenly going back inside was starting to sound like a better idea.

Just as you stood to move inside, you heard a murmur to your right. Turning to Kidman, you raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Huh?"

She mumbled again and as odd as this almost-uncharacteristic trait was, it was also incredibly annoying. You huffed. Couldn't she just let you go hide in humiliation in peace?

"I still can't hear you."

"I like you too!" She called out. Well, no, not really. It wasn't loud, wasn't really even close to shouting but it was loud for _her_ , which meant she was embarrassed - and with a confession like that, no wonder.

Did she- did she really-?

"You...do?" Was it true? Or was _this_ a part of Joseph's plan too? What even _was_ his plan? He must have one! Why else would he care so much about this whole damn mistleto business?

Kidman nodded, looking everywhere but at you and you blushed, unsure what to say. Joseph decided to clear his throat then, pocketing his phone.

"I'm going to go back inside. Call if you need me." And with that, he was gone.

You huffed at his retreating form. Of course, _now_ he decides to leave, when you needed him the most.

"Um...maybe I should follow him too." Kidman began, standing from the bench and still not looking at you, "I must get going anywa-." You stopped her before she could leave, hand on her arm. You wanted to talk and you couldn't if she left now; you know you'd lose any bit of confidence you were feeling now.

You took a deep breath and then began, "Stay, if only for a little bit. I...like having you here. With me. Right now... yeah." You rambled on, worry quickly eating away at you the longer Kidman stared. Was she going to say anything, or would she just walk off? What if she ignored you after all of this? 

_God, shut up, (Y/N)! You're making it worse!_

Kidman continued to stare, face deceivingly blank but you knew what she was doing; she had the same glint Joseph had whenever he was trying to see if a suspect was lying.

You tried to calm yourself and smiled. If there was one thing you were confident about, it was this. Why would you lie about something like this? You liked her, you liked her company, and this was the only chance you'll get to actually be with her.

It felt like forever before she seemed to find whatever she was looking for, and nodded. She sat back down beside you.

And that was that. The party carried on, loud thumpy music still carrying out of the open glass windows and doors of the house. People continued to have a good time, playing games and dancing (and getting drunk, you couldn’t forget that part). 

But none of that mattered because you were with Kidman. You may not be partners, you may not even be friends, but after so long of wanting to be _something_ to her, you finally just... _were_. And for the moment, it didn't matter what it was.

With time, you knew you'd figure it out. If she let you.

You smiled and carefully grasped Kidman's hand, making sure not to startle her again. She tensed for only a second before relaxing the best she could and placing her own over yours. 

Leaning back, you both looked up and watched as the sky began to slowly allow new stars to form.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the story! :D  
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated. :D
> 
> Here's my [Tumblr](https://ladycookiecupcake.tumblr.com)


	3. fight | ruvik

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> orignally published; 16/02/2018  
> edited; 30/01/2020

It had been a few good stressful...hours, days, weeks? You weren’t even sure anymore, just knowing - maybe? - that a good amount of time had passed since….since something, and you were extremely tired.

Your body ached with every slash of the dagger, fingers straining with every pull of the trigger, and mind fading with every step you took forward. All you wanted to do was lay down somewhere and sleep, for the next century at least. You were surprised you hadn’t already in all honesty.

Of course, you occasionally found a hiding place, decent enough in size to fit you and your multitude of large guns in, hiding you well; and though you never got the chance to sleep, you would always take these chances as a means of resting up your body in the only way possible. Though it never seemed to help; you’d stand right back up and your body would continue screaming for you to stop.

Like right now.

Your body, crouched behind an overturned, bloodied table, was practically screaming at you to stop. Your muscles pulled and ached, your head pounded and your eyes occasionally lost focus and swam just that bit further away from you.

It was becoming just a little harder to even crouch, let alone move on and fight your way out of this room (not even including the rest of the whole building). 

You knew you needed to fight, to carry on, but the longer it went on, the weaker you felt yourself becoming. You tried to take a deep breath, one, two, three deep breathes—but it didn’t work. Your body continued to ache and scream, and your mind and sight continued to swim in and out of focus. It felt like complete agony and you were sure nothing else could go badly for yo-.

It was then you were interrupted by a loud groan before your right shoulder burst into agonizing pain.

The scream broke free before you could clamp your mouth shut, attracting the unwanted attention of the others around you. Three Haunted hurried over, stumbling their way to you, and you stood as quickly as you could, ignoring your screaming muscles as you turned, digging the knife into the closest Haunted’s head. He went down quick enough, and soon the rest of the Haunteds followed.

Not wanting to tempt fate, you made sure to light each body on fire, watching as they quickly burnt to ashes, and then, with a tired sigh, you moved on, as ready as you could be, to fight your way out of here.

Or you were about, at least.

As it turned out, a certain hooded fellow decided you’d earned a good ol’ visit from him, and before you knew it, your head was pounding, the thump, thump, thump seemingly echoing in the room.

You clutched at your head as if it would get rid of the extreme migraine quickly appearing. It didn’t, none-to-surprisingly, and you were forced to your knees as the pain got larger and larger, eyes slipping close to block out any harsh lights.

Of course, it didn’t help and you knew you were making yourself vulnerable to the hooded man, but it couldn’t be helped—you were in too much pain to care, anyway.

"Ah, I see little (Y/N) is still fighting through this,” He began, his deep voice taunting, “How brave of you, to continue on, despite everything, despite the want of falling. Don’t worry; you’ll get your wish soon enough, though.”

As he spoke, the headache continued but despite the pounding, it was as if he was speaking in your mind, in the only quiet part — if there ever was — in your mind, making sure you heard every word, loud and clear.

He continued to speak with that condescending tone, and the more he spoke, the more you felt; the anger you’d felt since it all began, the agony, the pain, the feeling of being lost and surrounded by it all—it all came crashing down.

And before you knew it, your eyes had snapped open and you were rushing forward, your voice a roar as you shouted out: “Ruvik! Shut the hell up!”

The hooded man must not have expected you to do it (that’s a first) because from just under his hood, you could see his eyes widened as you tackled him.

You both hit the ground with a loud thud, but you didn’t bother wasting even a second. Straddling the man, you curled your hand into a fist and thrust it downward, hitting him square in the face, causing his face to twist sideways.

You continued to punch him, hitting him over and over and over again. Your breathing became ragged, your chest rising and falling harshly, and all you wanted to do was collapse, your body’s shaking getting more worse. The urge to ignore it was only boosted by the bigger urge to hurt him, this...man beneath you, as much as he was hurting you.

How dare he? How dare he use you (and those who came in with you; you didn’t even know if the other detectives were still alive) for his own pleasures? So what if he’d had a hard life? Everyone had hard moments, some more than others, but they still carried on! They didn’t torment others to make themselves feel bloody better!

As your thoughts consumed your mind, your anger boiling higher and higher, you didn’t realise that your movements had slowed down enough for him to grasp hold of your wrists, which he didn't hesitate in doing.

Grabbing your wrists, he threw you off of him, turning so you two had switched positions. Now he was on top and you were on the bottom, a little dazed due to the sudden moves.

You shook your head, getting rid of the dizziness, and glared up at him. He glared back, his icy blues seeming to pierce through you, as if trying - and succeeding - to peer into your soul. You felt a spike of fear but it didn't stop you from glaring at him.

There was just silence between the two of you, you panting and him glaring, until all of a sudden Ruvik made an almost sighing noise — but he wouldn’t sigh, would he? He never sighs, the unfathomable(?), smug prick — and disappeared from sight. Just like that, right before your eyes. One moment he was there, the next not.

You paused, staring up at where he once was, wondering just why he hadn’t killed you. Now had been the perfect time to do so, and yet…

The sound banging could be heard, and a look over to the right side of the room found the door moving a little. You sighed, waited a minute, heard the door finally give, and then sighed again. Quickly standing, you rushed over to the gun you had dropped after the headache and began shooting, finding your way out of the room and into yet another bloodied, dark place.

You had nothing to do but fight, and though you were tired, though you wanted nothing more than to just kill the man putting you through all of this, you couldn’t… not yet at least.

So you’ll continue to fight, to move on until you can find a way out, which you will. It’ll just take a little while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the story! :D  
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated. :D
> 
> Here's my [Tumblr](https://ladycookiecupcake.tumblr.com)


	4. freedom with you | laura and ruben victoriano

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> originally published; 14/12/2017  
> edited; 31/01/2020

The only excuse you could give — though you would continue to deny it was an excuse — was that you had been bored, and to get rid of this boredom, you needed to do something.

After last week's 'incident, which involved a hair dye for your father — pink just _didn't_ suit him — you had been confined to the four walls of your bedroom.

And with nothing else to do, of course, boredom was inevitable. You hadn't even been given a book to read.

Just told to 'sit there and think about what you've done', which of course was yelled by her father, his face matching his new hair colour.

For the first day, you were all for that. For an entire week, though? No. No! There was only so much thinking and 'realising what you've done' before you went insane.

You didn't want to be bored again; heck, that was what started the whole thing! You'd have thought they'd have learned by now; it was this type of boredom that caused the 'incidents' to happen.

If there had been something to do, if you had been allowed to leave the manor itself, you wouldn't have gotten so bored so quickly.

But alas, your father was a dick and refused an exit, for you _and_ your siblings.

All three of you - your beloved brother and sister - were forced to stay within the confines of this manor's walls, and even after trying to be good, you were still refused allowance outside.

You never understood why. Neither your father or your mother would explain, and even if they did you knew they'd never have a good enough answer. It only ever served to annoy you further.

Why couldn't you leave? Why weren't you and Laura and Ruben allowed to leave the manor? Why did you have to be under the constant supervision of the maids? Did your father not realise there was only so much _inside_ you three could take?

All you wanted was freedom to socialise, to make friends, to feel...normal... but your father refused, time and time again.

So really, it was no surprise that you tormented him every day. You just wanted him to feel the hell he had put Ruben, Laura's and your lives in too.

"Laura!" came the sudden but familiar voice of your brother. It was quite deep for a boy his age but it never failed to bring excitement into your life.

Your brother and sister were the only reason you hadn’t done anything _too_ drastic towards your father, after all, and you were glad to have them at least.

Though you did have to wonder why your brother’s voice sounded so panicked.

You slowly lifted yourself up into a sitting position, staring suspiciously over at your door, waiting. You half-expected two young people to come rushing in, the door slamming as it was forced open. Maybe even followed by an angered, older man, voice raised as he yelled at his children.

But nothing happened.

You frowned. What were they doing out there? You stood and walked over, steps careful and light. The last thing you wanted was to attract any unwanted attention, and in all honesty, you kind of expected the door to suddenly open just within the distance of your face.

You wouldn't put it past your father to have such bad timing with opening the door.

In a way, you also wouldn't put it past your brother, though you would remain far more forgiving to _him_ than you'd ever be to your father.

Ruben wouldn't mean to do it, led only by his excitement to show you something. Your father, on the other hand... it wouldn't surprise you, is all.

Placing a hand on the doorknob, you waited a moment, took a deep breath in and then opened it— only to come face-to-face with your sister, who had a fist raised to where the door would've been.

You raised an eyebrow and crossed your arms over your chest. Your hip jutted out a bit, reminding Laura and Ruben of a mother about to reprimand their child.

"Let me guess," You began, "Ruben wants to go out to the barn again."

Laura stared, wide-eyed and frozen for a moment before coughing and twisting her lips into that pleasant smirk of hers.

"It's as if you read my mind. I was just about to come and collect you."

You smiled and nodded, unfolding your arms and standing straighter. You didn't need to be told twice, and you certainly weren't going to turn this chance to leave away.

"Alright, but how are we going to get past Father?" You asked, stepping back into the room to grab your cardigan.

It was a pleasant day. The sun was out with nary a cloud in sight but you could never be too careful. The weather reporter had said there was a possibility of rain today.

Laura watched you for a moment, bright blue eyes tracking your movement until you were standing in front of her again, and then she answered, "As we always do - through the back door."

She didn't bother waiting for a response, walking off to the stairs. You could see Ruben standing there, impatient as ever. You sighed and followed her.

Had she forgotten your father was here today? Your mother wasn't one to worry about, much anyway. As long as your father was away, she was more willing to turn a blind eye to anything you and your siblings did, but your father wouldn't, even if the barn was only a mile away.

But there was no point in telling Laura this; she knew already, besides. Maybe she just didn't care.

There had been a lot of tension recently in the family — most of which wasn't even caused by you — and you knew it wasn't long until someone snapped.

You just hoped nobody got hurt in the process.

They were waiting by the staircase still, by the time you snapped out of your thoughts, peeking over the bannister while still staying just out of sight.

Standing beside them, you could see the occasional maid appear and disappear underneath the upper landing but otherwise, it was quiet.

You could never be too careful though. It'd be just your luck that you'd get caught by a maid. You still weren't supposed to be out of your room, after all.

"So, how are we going to get down there? The maids are there, and I'm not supposed to be out of my room, remember?" You asked quietly and Laura nodded, clearly already having thought of a plan.

"I know Father is in his study and Mother with one of her friends in the living room area. The only ones that need distracting are the maids, most of which are in the kitchen. So I'll distract them while you two sneak out."

"And how are you planning on getting out unnoticed?" You questioned, eyebrow raised. The maids wouldn't let Laura out of their sights once they saw her.

They were very protective of their jobs, and you understood if anything happened to you three and it escaped the maids' notice, they would probably lose their jobs (if they were lucky).

It didn't mean you had to like it. Their close attention only served to make things ten times harder for you to sneak out.

Laura hummed as if she hadn't thought that far. You sighed and tried to think of another way. Distracting could work but you would also need a distraction for _all_ of you, not just two.

_Come on, (Y/N)! Think!_

It shouldn't be too hard to think of something, you were constantly thinking up new pranks. So why would _this_ be any harder?

A moment later, your mind remained blank. You huffed and crossed your arms.

"I've got nothing."

Laura sighed and Ruben huffed, rolling his eyes.

"Why don't we just sneak past them one by one. One of us goes first and then alerts the other when they can move." He suggested in a quiet, somewhat-demanding tone and you nodded. It was the best thing you had, so that would have to be the plan then.

Carefully tip-toeing down the stairs, the three of you slipped quietly over to the kitchen door and knelt just out of view. You peered around the corner, watching the maids focus dutifully on their tasks.

You glanced around the room. There were two doors to enter the kitchen; the one you were knelt in and the other to get outside.

As the lunch had only just started, most of them were on the left side, nearest the stoves, chatting idly amongst themselves.

So, the best way to get out would be to stay on the right, staying low behind the tables and counters. Of course, the other door happened to be more on the left side but...

_Let's just do it before we're caught,_ you thought and turned to your brother and sister.

Explaining your plan, that you'd go in first, you completely ignored Ruben's quiet but rushed protest to go first instead, and turned back to the kitchen. When nobody passed by, you opened the door just enough to slip through and quietly rushed over to the counter.

You crouched just in time for a maid to come over, grabbing a bowl of ready-cut vegetables.

Once she turned her back, you turned to the other two, waving them on, before quietly slipping out of the door. They followed just as quietly after you.

It took a while of ducking and hiding, but eventually, all three of you were out and wasting no time in running.

The beautiful field of sunflowers came into view quickly, and you smiled at the sight, rushing forward into it.

It never failed to make you feel so calm; the bright flowers, the soft flutter of wind brushing against your skin, the smiles of your siblings to the left and right of you.

Laura's sweet laughter echoed, clear as day, and you smiled brighter. Ruben was quiet behind you but you knew he was smiling just as wide as you were, if not bigger.

You had always loved this field. It was so beautiful, so refreshing and yet so empty, so untouched from human contact. The sunflowers were free to grow as tall as they wished.

Sometimes you wondered what it was like...

Slowing down to a soft stop, your smile disappeared. You clenched your jaw as the thoughts and memories of your father appeared.

No, you refused to let him ruin your fun. You would have fun today with your sister and brother, and it will be the _**best**_ day of your life—or at least one of them when it concerns Ruben and Laura.

You felt a hand wrap around your arm and looked down to see Ruben's bright blue eyes staring up at you.

It was strange to you, that others saw only a blank, impassive young boy when to you, he was as open as one of your favoured books. He never spoke much of his emotions, true, but he didn't need to; they were as clear as day to those who looked.

You felt the calming wave of happiness Ruben often refused to allow himself to feel, right now and smiled.

Leaning down, you gave him a soft kiss on his hair. His eyes slipped closed and a small smile tipped the corners of his lips slightly before you pulled back. He opened his eyes and tugged gently on your arm.

"Let's go, (Y/N)." He spoke quietly and softly dragged you to your destination — the barn in the middle of the field.

It was a plain barn, like any other honestly; all rusty looking and greyish-brown, old, decayed but somehow, against the odds, still standing. The many times you had been here, nothing had ever hurt the three of you, no falling pieces of wood, not even a splinter - nothing. 

It was safe despite its appearance. You smiled at the sight of it and followed in after them, waiting until Ruben released your arm to shut the door.

He hesitated but a soft smile from you made him relax enough to let go and move towards his waiting sister.

Closing the door, you stepped back and turned back towards them, only to come face-to-face with Laura helping Ruben up—or at least trying to.

She huffed as she tried to nudge Ruben higher, onto the upper level.

There had been a ladder around here somewhere, but you had accidentally broken it by playing around with it. So now if you ever wanted to get to the upper level, you had to climb.

Ruben was short, though, which meant one of you had to help him. The sight was always hilarious.

"You know, you could help me!" Laura exclaimed as she pushed Ruben up, and yet, just as she said that, he managed to push himself up onto the higher level.

Still, just to be an annoying older sibling, you placed a finger under your chin and pretended to think. Your eyebrow raised in a houghtful manner, and then:

“You know what, I think I’ll pass, thanks." You replied, "Besides, it seems you were doing just fine by yourself.”

Laura gave the dirtiest glare she could produce, but its effect was dampened greatly by the playfulness in her eyes—and the fact that Laura couldn’t be harsh if she tried.

You rolled your eyes and grinned widely, walking over to help Laura up too. Though it didn’t take as long as it did with Ruben, it still required some effect.

Once up, she turned and carefully leaned down to help you up. Gripping one of the many support beams, you used all of your strength to hoist yourself up the post until you could reach the edge of the upper level.

Quickly, you pulled yourself up to crawl across, only barely managing not to fall. You pushed yourself up and sat so your legs hung over the side.

You fell backwards, breathing in deeply and releasing, and closed your eyes. You could still feel the cold air against your face, and you loved every minute of it.

You felt so...free, and when you felt Laura and Ruben lay down next to you — Laura placing her head on your shoulder and Ruben placing an arm over your waist — you smiled.

Happiness...freedom... this was what it was. It was beautiful but ever so...temporary.

You knew it would come to an end sooner than you'd like, but there wasn't anything you could do about it — God knows you've tried, besides.

So, what's the point of caring about the after part?

_Care about the present now, worry about the future later..._

You leaned your head to the side to lay it atop Laura's and wrapped an arm around Ruben, pulling him into your side. You closed your eyes.

For the next three and a half hours the three of you would be free, to do and say as you please, to breathe and to have fun — and then you'd have to go back into the manor, the _**prison**_.

But you'll escape, all three of you, and you'll be free, together.

Life had to be good to you at some point, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the story! :D  
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated. :D
> 
> Here's my [Tumblr](https://ladycookiecupcake.tumblr.com)


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